Free cookie consent plan or free trial: what is the difference?
A free trial lets you use a product for a limited period. A free plan gives you a defined set of features without a trial countdown, usually with limits on features and capacity.
The useful question is not whether the sign-up button says free, but what you can use once you start and what happens next.
Free trial vs free plan at a glance
| What to check | Typical free trial | Typical free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Typical free trialA fixed period, often days or weeks. | Typical free planNo trial countdown. The plan’s terms still apply. |
| Payment details | Typical free trialSome trials ask for a card at sign-up; others do not. | Typical free planUsually not needed to start. Check the sign-up form. |
| At the end | Typical free trialDepending on the terms: a paid plan, a pause or fewer features. | Typical free planNo trial end. Check whether reaching a limit triggers a change. |
| Limits to check | Typical free trialWhat is included during the trial and what you keep afterwards. | Typical free planLimited features and capacity, such as scanning, history and exports. |
Offers vary between providers, so read the terms of the specific offer rather than relying on the label.
What to check in a free trial
Trials differ. Some take payment details and continue as a paid subscription; others stop, pause or downgrade at the end without charging you.
Check the trial length, whether a card is required, what happens on the last day and how to cancel. A trial is a fair way to evaluate software; compare it as a time-limited offer, not as the cost of running the tool.
What to check in a free plan
A free plan can be useful for a long time and still have limited features and capacity. That is normal, as long as the limits are clear before you sign up.
Check traffic, scanning, record history, exports, branding and support separately. Unlimited visitors and scan limits covers traffic and scanning, and consent history and export periods covers records.
How Passiro Free works
Passiro Free is a plan, not a trial. It needs no credit card and does not turn into a paid subscription; you move to a paid plan only if you choose one.
Free includes the cookie banner and visual editor, automatic script blocking, Google Consent Mode v2, consent analytics and unlimited visitors. It also has defined limits: monthly automatic scans of up to 500 pages, up to 13 months of consent history and exports of the last 30 days.
Some features need a paid plan. Your own logo, removing Passiro branding, IAB TCF v2.4 and GPP, on-demand scans and email support start with Pro. Business adds larger scans, longer exports and API access.
Before you choose any free offer, work through our ten questions to ask before choosing a free cookie banner. They cover the full comparison, from traffic and scanning to frameworks and support.
Two quick questions
Why can Passiro offer a Free plan?
Paid plans fund the product. Customers pay for branding, more scanning, longer record periods, data access and personal support, while websites with simpler needs can use Free.
Can I upgrade from Free later?
Yes. You can move a website to a paid plan when you need one of its features. Paid plans are priced per domain and billed monthly or annually; see pricing.